I´ve been coming to Exotic Research City for a little over ten years now. I think this is my sixth trip. I´ve seen the major tourist sites, been to a few of the dozens of museums large (giant art museum) and small (the museum of shoes, about half the size of my 1 BR apartment). I´ve gone on long rambles in the old medieval city.
But for some reason, I´ve never made it to the book market.
This is a city that is absolutely chock full of bookstores. None of them (so far) seem to be of the Borders/B&N variety -- almost all specialize in something or other. And they´re great. But every Sunday morning, one of the giant city markets is given over to booksellers, new and used, who set up in stalls for about six hours. I kept hearing about it, and it kept getting put on the "I ought to do that someday" list. Well, apparently today´s the day, because last week I discovered (in the medieval institute library) an out-of-print reference work that happens to be owned by a used bookseller who, though he is 20 miles to the south, comes in with a selection every week. So I´m gonna check it out. It´s heavy & expensive, and I may only be able to get the one volume I really need, rather than the three I want, but I´ll just have to see.
10 comments:
Oooh! good luck! Sounds so exiciting -- squee!
God, you're giving me a long-distance geek-out!
oh, book market. Dangerous. Very dangerous. And expensive, now that they won't send things surface mail!
but my word is "prego", which, were you a few countries over, would be how you'd ask for all three volumes. We're waiting for the result!
May your luggage hold all you cannot not buy...
!!!!!!!!!
books!
Did I tell you that I left for London with 7 books in my various bags and returned with 17?
A weekly book market? That sounds like my kind of town!
Count me in on Squadro's long-distance geek-out! Are you going to have to buy an extra suitcase just to bring home your new purchases?
Actually, I ended up walking away with only one small book -- not essential, but desirable, and out of print. The real ones I wanted were three vols. of a reference work, but the particular bookseller who had them did not have them at the stall. But, he will ship internationally. So I think I´ll just order them.
There are, however, several other smaller volumes available new (at least three) that I want to pick up at the bookstore attached to the municipal historical museum.
Sounds great! my only concern is how many books you can squeeze in your suitcase... Miss you. Have fun!
I will tell you my traveling lesson from last summer: if you end up with enough books to fill a carry-on suitcase, it's probably going to be far cheaper to pay the extra bag fee on your airline than to ship them home. And they'll get there (deo volante) when you do. I think I paid $300 to ship a large, heavy box home; a suitcase weighing about the same amount cost $100 in extra bag fees (plus the $50 to buy the suitcase). I checked in a carry-on bag full of books on my return from Cambridge, along with my three suitcases of other miscellaneous stuff (you know, like clothes). Strangely, the book suitcase was the only one TSA peeked around in and left me a note about.
I realize, re: my last comment, that it may also depend on whether your airline is one that waives the checked bag fee (on bags 1 & 2) for transatlantic flights... I fly USAir, and as long as you're crossing the ocean, your first two checked bags go for free. Or "for free," anyway.
My verification word, seriously, is SCIFI.
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